The sum of $3$ consecutive even numbers is $132$. What is the third number in this sequence?
Solution: Call the first number in the sequence $x$ The next even number in the sequence is $x + 2$ The sum of the $3$ consecutive even numbers is: $x+ (x + 2)+ (x + 4) = 132$ $3x + 6= 132$ $3x = 126$ $x = 42$ Since $x$ is the first number, $x + 4$ is the third even number. Thus, the third number in the sequence is $46$.